Playoff basketball is finally here.
Following an 82-game regular season and the play-in tournament, the 2025 NBA playoffs will get underway Saturday with four first-round matchups — two in the East and two out West.
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WATCH HEREThe playoff opener features a rematch from the 2024 first round as the No. 4 Indiana Pacers host the No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks. Last year, the then-No. 6 Pacers upset then-No. 3 Milwaukee in six games en route to the conference finals, but the Bucks didn’t have two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo available for the entire series and were without Damian Lillard for two games, as well. And Lillard will be sidelined for at least Game 1 of this year's series after dealing with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his calf.
The playoff action will then move out West as the red-hot No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers take on three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the No. 4 Denver Nuggets. The Clippers enter the postseason on run of 19 wins in 25 games, meeting a Nuggets team that fired the franchise's only championship-winning head coach just before the end of the regular season.
The third game of the day will see a storied franchise make its return to the playoffs as the No. 6 Detroit Pistons battle the No. 3 New York Knicks. The Pistons snapped a five-year playoff drought after improving their record by 30 victories, recording the franchise’s first winning season since 2015-16. While Cade Cunningham and Co. are series underdogs, they did take three of four from the Knicks in the regular season.
Saturday's slate concludes with a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Finals -- well, sort of. The Minnesota Timberwolves were denied their first-ever trip to the NBA Finals last year by the Luka Doncic-led Dallas Mavericks. Now, Anthony Edwards and the No. 6 Wolves begin this postseason against Doncic, LeBron James and the No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers.
Today's NBA playoff schedule: Where to watch and stream the games
Here's a full look at Saturday's schedule, including where to watch and stream the games:
- No. 5 Bucks at No. 4 Pacers -- 1 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN.com, ESPN app
- No. 5 Clippers at No. 4 Nuggets -- 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN.com, ESPN app
- No. 6 Pistons at No. 3 Knicks -- 6 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN.com, ESPN app
- No. 6 Timberwolves at No. 3 Lakers -- 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN.com, ESPN app
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The four other first-round series tip off Sunday:
- No. 8 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder -- 1 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN.com, ESPN app
- No. 7 Orlando Magic at No. 2 Boston Celtics -- 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN.com, ESPN app
- No. 8 Miami Heat at No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers -- 7 p.m. ET, TNT, truTV, TNTDrama.com, TNT app, Max
- No. 7 Golden State Warriors at No. 2 Houston Rockets -- 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT, truTV, TNTDrama.com, TNT app, Max
